I've Been Tagged!

This is one of my favorite memes (I don't know why they're called that, but they are, at least in LiveJournal land, where I've done most of my blogging) and Janell tagged me, so here we go.

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages)
2. Turn to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog
5. Tag 5 people

Thankfully the book nearest me is The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield--my Mother's Day gift from Mat.

"They're here, but we can't see them."

This is in reference to the author's belief in angels, and in his mind, angels are like muses, encouraging us and inspiring us to be greater. I'm going to post the last page of the book in its entirety, because it really struck me and motivated me to start writing again. The phrase in bold below struck me the most strongly.

"Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don't do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got."
(Pressfield, 2002, p. 165, emphasis added)

Sometimes I don't know why I write, why I have this drive to put words to paper. I just know that when I write, I feel better. Much better. When I avoid writing, I tend towards a combination of craftiness--some kind of act of creation that doesn't quite fulfill the way that writing does--and irritation. Grrr. Anyway, I tag Elizabeth, Jenny, Anna, Kerry, and Auntie K.